1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a novel composition and use thereof for insect control. More particularly, the invention relates to a composition of (E,E)-10,12-tetradecadien-1-ol acetate, (Z)-11-tetradecen-1-ol acetate, and (Z)-9-tetradecen-1-ol acetate, and use of the composition as an attractant, disruptant, and monitoring agent for the mint root borer.
2. Description of the Art
The mint root borer, Fumibotys fumalis (Guenee) is a member of the Pyralidae family of the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). It is widely distributed in North America (E. Monroe, Fascicle 13.2A: 26-28 (1976)). It was first reported to be a pest of a cultivated crop in 1971 when it was found damaging commercially-grown peppermint, Mentha piperita L. in the Willamette Valley of Oregon (R. E. Berry, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 67: 580-582 (1974)). Subsequently, the mint root borer adapted to and damaged spearmint, M. spicata L., and became an established pest in the commercial mint fields of Washington, Idaho, and Oregon (K. S. Pike and M. Glazer, Journal of Economic Entomology 75: 1136-1139 (1982)). Damage occurs when the larvae bore into and feed on the mint rhizomes. Infested fields show declining yields and shortened stand life (K. S. Pike et al., Pacific Northwest Coop. Ext. Pub. 322 (1988)).
The taxonomy, morphology, and geographical distribution of the mint root borer were described by Monroe, supra. Studies of its biology and behavior (Forbes, Memoir 68, Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N.Y. (1923); Berry, 1974, supra; Berry, Pacific Northwest Cooperative Extension Publication No. 182 (1977); Davis et al., J. Entomol. Soc. Brit. Columbia 81: 25-28 (1984); Pike et al., 1998, supra) and chemical and cultural control (Pike, Insecticide Acaracide Tests 4: 88 (1979); Pike and Getzin, Journal of Economic Entomology 74: 385-388 (1981); Pike and Glazer, 1982, supra) have been reported.
The study by Davis et al., supra, showed that female mint root borers attract males of their species; that males respond optimally to females between 12 midnight and 1 a.m.; that females are attractive at least from 0.5 to 7 days after adult emergence, and that mated females do not attract males during the day following mating.
No single compound or chemical composition was known heretofore to be attractive to this insect species, and no adequate method has been available to determine the presence of the mint root borer prior to crop damage. What is needed is an effective attractant for detecting, monitoring, and controlling this pest.